Humane Society Seizes Animals from Jenny's Market Near Dexter

Editor's note: This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley seized eight animals from on Thursday.

According to Ann Arbor.com, horses, donkeys and goats in varying states of neglect, were removed from the farm, located at 8366 Island Lake Road.

Humane Society investigator Matt Schaecher told the newspaper that investigators are working on a report with the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office for possible cruelty charges.

Farm owner Burton Hoey said that investigators took two horses, four donkeys and two goats from the property but left 14 other animals.

"What I can't understand is why there wasn't a warning or why didn't they provide advice on how to care for the animals before they were seized?" Hoey told Patch.com. "Normally if the Humane Society thinks you are doing something wrong, they cite the problem and give you time to correct it."

One of the horses he said was suffering from the heaves, a chronic lung condition similar to asthma in humans.

"My veternarian looked at the horse and felt there was nothing he could do to solve the problem, but he didn't recommend getting rid of it because he thought the condition could clear up on its own," Hoey explained.

Hoey said the horse is used at an Amish farm in Ohio during parts of the year and when it returned to Dexter this summer, it already had the heaves.

The other seized horse had an abscess on its hoof that Hoey said had already begun to heal. Hoey said the Humane Society removed the donkeys because the hooves needed trimming, which he said is performed regularly by his farm workers.

"You can't trim the hooves too much at one time or they will bleed," he said.

Hoey said investigators thought the goats, which he purchased from another owner, were underweight, despite being fed along with the other animals.

Hoey said this isn't the first time his farm has been targeted by the Humane Society.

"People call because they see a horse standing out in the rain. Never once have I received a violation for animal cruelty," he said.

Hoey said he's unsure if he will get his animals back, but will continue to operate the farm as usual.

"I think it was an misunderstanding. The Humane Society wasn't interested in anything other than removing the animals and making a scene out of it. We could have discussed how to work out the problem without removing the horses," he said.